Vote Bank Tamasha,declares manusmriti!

Rohith suicide: SC, ST teachers to go on hunger strike from tomorrow in HCU,But Justice denied and Manusmriti justifies it in Bengal without any protest whatsoever!

Palash Biswas

Rohith suicide: SC, ST teachers to go on hunger strike from tomorrow in HCU,But Justice denied and Manusmriti justifies it in Bengal without any protest whatsoever!While the students from JNU who began their

indefinite hunger strikeon Sunday,

continued to raise their demands

of resignations of Union HRD

Minister.Hunger Strike continues in

Jadhavpur University campus also.

Tension prevailed at the University of Hyderabad on

Wednesday as students protestors held a roadblock on the

Old Mumbai highway demanding suspension of the Vice

Chancellor and the interim VC.

Durgapur (West Bengal): Union Minister Smriti Irani on Wednesday accused the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal of indulging in a vote bank politics over the suicide of a Dalit scholar in Hyderabad.

"Trinamool leader Derek O'Brien had gone to Hyderabad to demand justice for the Dalit student. I want to ask him... in Nadia, a Trinamool leader had murdered three Dalits inside their home in May 2015... why didn't O'Brien visit their families?" Irani said.

"Because for him, vote bank 'tamasha' in Hyderabad is more important than securing justice in Nadia," she said at a public rally in Durgapur, around 165 km from Kolkata.

Widespread protests have rocked India following the death of Rohith Vemula, who committed suicide on January 17 after his suspension along with four other Dalit students from Hyderabad University over an alleged clash with a leader of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).

Last week a two-member Trinamool MP delegation, led by its leader in the Rajya Sabha Derek O'Brien, spent a long time at the Hyderabad University campus and addressed the students demanding justice for Vemula.

Irani also slammed the Mamata Banerjee-led government on recent incidences of violence in the state.

ND TV reports:

Protesters demanding that Union Ministers Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya be sacked over the death of Hyderabad research scholar Rohith Vemula were detained in Delhi and Chennai today.

Here are the latest developments:

In Delhi, over 100 protesters were detained while marching near Shastri Bhawan in the heart of the capital, and were moved away in buses. They covered a distance of 2 km by foot from Mandi House to Shastri Bhawan. There were students from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi University and Jamia in it. They were seeking Ms Irani's, Hyderabad University Vice Chancellor Appa Rao and Mr Dattatreya's resignation.

In Chennai, about 60 protesters were detained who were also protesting against the death of three medical students who allegedly committed suicide in Tamil Nadu's Villupuram.

The bodies of the three young women were pulled out of a well just opposite their medical college. A suicide note that they allegedly wrote described the appalling lack of even basic facilities at the college and their struggle to be heard by the administration.

Student organisations from across the country have called for a strike in all universities to protest against the death of Rohith Vemula, 26, who committed suicide at the Hyderabad Central University 10 days ago.

200 student associations have set up a national joint action committee, which plans to mark Rohith's birthday on Saturday, January 30, with a Chalo Delhi (Let's march to Delhi) protest. Rohith would have turned 27.

At Hyderabad Central University, students have been on a relay hunger strike in protest against Rohith's death and the punishment that led to it. One of seven fasting students was shifted to the university's health centre on Tuesday, and is now said to be in stable condition. Three students from JNU are also on indefinite hunger strike in solidarity with Hyderabad university student protestors.

The university's interim Vice Chancellor Vipin Srivastava has made multiple appeals in the two days since his appointment, to students to call off their protests.

Mr Srivastava took interim charge after the university's Vice Chancellor Professor Appa Rao Podile went on indefinite leave on Sunday. Student protesters accuse Prof Podile of punishing Rohith and the other Dalit students under political pressure.

Rohith and the others were suspended over a clash with activists of the ABVP, the BJP's student wing. Protesters have alleged that the Dalit research scholars were subjected to caste discrimination. They have rejected a move by the university to revoke the suspension of the four students punished along with Rohith and have demanded the sacking of the university vice chancellor and union ministers.

They allege that pressure from Mr Dattatreya, labour minister and BJP lawmaker from Secunderabad, resulted in Ms Irani's education ministry sending repeated reminders to the university, forcing it to punish the students.

HRD Ministry wrote five letters to act against Rohith and other student activists of Ambedkar Studnts` association.More over,A day after PhD scholar Rohith Vemula committed suicide on the University of Hyderabad campus,

Cyberabad police registered a case against Union minister of state for labour Bandaru Dattatreya in connection with the death.The students alleged in their complaint that Mr Dattatreya had influenced the Union human resource development ministry to take action against Dalit students at the UoH.

No one resigned!

No Justice!

University vice-chancellor Prof. Appa Rao Podile, BJP legislative council member N. Ramachandra Rao and ABVP activist Susheel Kumar from the UoH have also been named in the First Information Report, Gachibowli police said.Susheel Kumar had complained of an assault by activists of the Ambedkar Students Association, of which Rohith was a member, last year. That led to the suspension of five Dalit scholars, including Rohith.

No one resigned!

No Justice!

Meanwhile, six of the seven students on hunger strike have been shifted to a health centre.

Meanwhile,The Joint Action Committee (JAC) for Social Justice, that has been steering the protests, also held a massive rally inside the campus with slogans 'VC down down' 'Step down the VC,' and 'We want Justice'.

Speaking at gathering at shopping complex, HCU faculty members, professors and teachers from SC, ST teachers' forum, contract employees and non-teaching staff promised students for their support until they obtain justice.

The SC, ST teachers' forum announced that they would take part in the hunger strike from Thursday demanding the resignation of Vice Chancellor Prof. Appa Rao.

others told media that they have given a notice in this regard to the registrar of the university.

They demanded that interim VC Vipin Srivatsava also be removed. "He was faced allegations during the death of a dalith student Senthil Kumar in 2008 and he was one of the members in the committee which recommended the suspension of five students including Rohit Vemula. Now, a judicial enquiry will be taken up and the VC or interim VC are the authorities from the UoH who have to give explanation. We strongly say that if the persons who are facing allegation will not give a justification to our struggle during judicial enquiry," they said.

Sripathi Ramudu told Deccan Chronicle that they would decide whether go for relay hunger strike or indefinite hunger strike by Thursday morning. "We demand the resignation of VC and incumbent VC in order to resume academic and administration activities," he said.

The JAC for Social Justice, an umbrella of student groups, have also called a 'all universities bandh' to demand the arrest of central ministers Smriti Irani, Bandaru Dattatreya, Vice Chancellor Appa Rao and others, blaming them for the "institutional murder" of Vemula.

The JAC has also condemned the appointment of Vipin Srivastava as the interim vice chancellor as he headed a sub-committee of the executive council, which suspended Vemula and four other students.

Bengaluru, Jan 27: Friends and well-wishers of Rohith Vemula are going to mark his 27th birthday in a special way on January 30 (Saturday). 26-year-old Dalit research scholar from Hyderabad, who committed suicide on January 17, would have turned 27. Around 200 student associations from across the country have set up a national joint action committee. Students are planning to commemorate Rohith's birthday with a Chalo Delhi (Let's march to Delhi) protest. The Hyderabad Central University is on a boil since Rohith's tragic and untimely death. Protest rallies have become a regular affair at the university campus. Several of Rohith's friends are on hunger strike. Three students from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi are also on an indefinite hunger strike in solidarity with Hyderabad university student protesters. Everyday students from various parts of the country are holding protests demanding justice for Rohith. Rohith's death has become a rallying point for all those who have long been saying that there exists a systematic discrimination of Dalit students in the higher educational institutions. The agitating students are demanding resignations of Union ministers Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya over the suicide. They also want vice chancellor Appa Rao Podile to be sacked. Rohith was one of the five scholars who were expelled, after a scuffle broke out between Ambedkar Students' Association (ASA) (Rohith was a member of ASA) and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in August last year. Protesters allege that pressure from Dattatreya, labour minister and BJP lawmaker from Secunderabad, resulted in Irani's education ministry sending repeated reminders to the university, forcing it to punish the students. Protest marches were witnessed in the capital city on January 27 (Wednesday). Protesting the alleged "delay in justice" to Hyderabad university research scholar, scores of students from varsities across Delhi today once again marched to the HRD Ministry where around 100 of them were detained by Delhi police. Moreover, 20 teachers from Bahujan Teachers' Association hailing from Nellore and Prakasham districts of Andhra Pradesh will be on a hunger strike from January 28 (Thursday), until justice is delivered to Rohith. Students of several universities across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are on strike demanding justice for Rohith. On January 27 (Wednesday), students of HCU painted themselves with black colours as a part of their protest.

Caution seemed the buzzword on the University of Hyderabad campus on Tuesday, with in-charge Vice-Chancellor Vipin Srivastava wrapping up his Republic Day speech in a mere two minutes, even as protesters kept their emotions in check. Mr Srivastava's rather short speech was completed without interruptions as the students respected the decision of the Joint Action Committee and refrained from shouting slogans or conducting any marches, despite being well aware that it was the first public appearance of the in-charge V-C, who was also responsible for the suspension of the five Dalit scholars.

The protesters said that they would uphold the dignity of the occasion and not indulge in any "anti-national" activities. Meanwhile, in his speech, Mr Srivastava expressed condolences over Rohith Vemula's suicide, terming it 'an unfortunate incident on the campus'. Unlike the previous years, this year's ceremony in the UoH turned out to be a somber affair, with fewer people turning up.

There were no cultural programmes and the annual award distribution function was not held. The organisers had to gather campus school students and teachers to fill the rather large gaps among the audience. The V-C hoisted the flag and addressed the gathering without a microphone. He asked the university community to come together and 'solve the existing issue'.

Elsewhere, the JAC members said that Mr Srivastava was also responsible for the sufferings of Dalit students and the death of Rohith, but they didn't want to corner him on Republic Day. "This is a democratic protest against injustice. We will be continuing our protest here till all our demands are met. We are not anti-nationals to interrupt the Republic Day ceremony," said a JAC member.

The students, who had given a nationwide university strike call, marched to the residence of the interim head of the institution and then went outside the campus and burnt the effigy of the Vice-chancellor, whose ouster they have been seeking.

"Six (students) were shifted (to the health centre) yesterday", Ravindra Kumar, chief medical officer said. One student is continuing with the hunger strike, which resumed three days back after the first batch of his colleagues who went on fast were moved to the health centre.

Media reports,Tension prevailed at the University of Hyderabad on Wednesday as students protestors held a roadblock on the Old Mumbai highway demanding suspension of the Vice Chancellor and the interim VC over suicide of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula.

26-year-old Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula who hanged himself in Hyderabad Central University campus, was suspended from his hostel by the HCU administration in August last year for allegedly attacking an ABVP leader.

The protests resulted in traffic snarls along stretches from Kondapur village to Serilingampally until it was cleared by the police.

After the police intervention, the students took the protests inside the campus, where they marched to the residence of the interim VC, and burnt effigies of VC professor Appa Rao and Union Minister Smrithi Irani.

Deccan Chronical reports:

A fan of famous science educator Carl Sagan, Rohith Vemula was one of the brightest students in UoH. He bagged the prestigious Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) fellowship and a UGC Junior Research (JRF) Fellowship after he joined HCU. He held out great promise as a budding scholar.

Rohith's friends remember him for his ability to explain complex science subjects and theories in simple, precise ways. A voracious reader of literature and politics, Rohith was fascinated by Babasaheb Ambedkar's ideas. He was financially supporting his poor family by sending money from his fellowship fund.

Having joined UoH for his Master's Degree in Life Science, Rohith had cracked the CSIR test in his first attempt. "After that, when he joined PhD, the university did not allow him to get the CSIR fund due to technical reasons. So, he applied for UGC test and cracked JRF," said Yasir Vayanad, a research scholar and friend of Rohith.

After completing his MSc, Rohith switched his academic discipline from Life Science to Social Science, to pursue his PhD. "During his Master's, he had read a lot of literature and grown to become a socially-committed individual. He thought of doing a PhD in Social Science, hoping that it would help him engage in social activism," said one of his friends.

After reading books of B.R. Ambedkar, Rohith called himself an Ambedkarite. During his conversation with friends, he often said he gave prominence to science. Religion, he said, had no place in his life. He also discussed about the writings and TV shows of Carl Sagan, which had influenced him greatly. "He was brilliant in explaining scientific theories. After watching the movie Interstellar, he explained the time dilation and general relativity so vividly for us to understand," said another friend of Rohith. During the last few days of the present protest, Rohith grew depressed as the Vice Chancellor refused to listen to the students' pleas. Said Prem Kumar, a friend of Rohith, "We used to sit and discuss various social issues during the protest. In the last few days, he appeared really disturbed. He told me: "While other students on this campus are leading a comfortable life, we five Dalits are sleeping like dogs outside."

He was born and brought up in Savitribai Nagar in Guntur. His father worked as security guard in a private company.

Trump will be lilliput before you: Rohith to VC

In his letter to UoH vice-chancellor Appa Rao Podile, Dalit PhD scholar Rohith Vemula, who ended his life on Sunday, likened his activities to the bigotry of US Republican presidential election front-runner Donald Trump.

The full letter :-

Sir,

First, let me praise your dedicated take on the self-respect movements of Dalits in HCU campus. When an ABVP president got questioned about his derogatory remarks on Dalits, your kind personal interference into the issue is historic and exemplary. five dalit students are "socially boycotted" from campus spaces. Donald Trump will be a lilliput in front of you. By seeing your commitment, I am tempted to give two suggestions as a token of banality.

1. Please serve 10mg Sodium Azide to all the Dalit students at the time of admission. With direction to use when they feel like reading Ambedkar.

2.Supply a nice rope to the rooms of all Dalit students from your companion, the great Chief Warden. As we, the scholars, PhD students, have already passed that stage and already members of Dalit Self-Respect movement unfortunately, we here are left with no easy exit, it seems. Hence, I request your highness to make preparations for the facility "Euthanasia" for students like me. And I wish you and the campus rest in peace forever.

Thanking You,

Yours sincerely

Rohith's last rites performed

The last rites held on Monday of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula, who committed suicide Sunday, resembled one of a convicted criminal.

It was conducted in a rushed and hush-hush manner under tight security, giving little time for his family, friends and relatives to say a final goodbye.

As per sources, the police pressurised the family to conduct his last rites in Hyderabad even though they wanted the body taken to native Guntur.

After the autopsy of the body, Rohith's mother Radhika Vemula was not consulted on the last rites in Hyderabad.

His father was not present as he did not travel to Hyderabad.

Letter reveals Rohith's love for life and nature

"I loved science, stars, nature, but then I loved people without knowing that people have long since divorced from nature. Our feelings are second handed. Our love is constructed. Our beliefs colored. Our originality valid through artificial art. The value of a man is reduced to his immediate identity and nearest possibility. To a vote. To a number. Never was a man treated as a mind. As a glorious thing made up of stardust. In every field, in studies, in streets, in politics, and in dying and living. I am not hurt at this moment. I am not sad. I am just empty," wrote UoH Dalit PhD scholar Rohith Vemula in his suicide note.

The highly emotional letter indicated his outlook on life and his passion for science.

"I would not be around when you read this letter. Don't get angry... I know some of you truly cared for me, loved me and treated me very well. I have no complaints on anyone. I feel a growing gap between my soul and my body. I always wanted to be a writer. A writer of science, like Carl Sagan. At last, this is the only letter I am getting to write," he wrote. "I am writing this kind of letter for the first time. My first time of a final letter. Forgive me if I fail to make sense."

May be I was wrong, all the while, in understanding (the) world. In understanding love, pain, life, death. There was no urgency. But I always was rushing. Desperate to start a life. All the while, some people, for them, life itself is curse. My birth is my fatal accident. I can never recover from my childhood loneliness. The unappreciated child from my past," Rohith wrote.

"People may dub me a coward, and selfish, or stupid once I am gone. I am not bothered about what I am called. I don't believe in after-death stories, ghosts or spirits. If there is anything at all I believe (in), I believe that I can travel to the stars. And know about the other worlds." He concluded his letter saying: "Let my funeral be silent and smooth. Behave like I just appeared and gone (went). Do not shed tears for me. Know that I am happy dead than being alive. 'From shadows to the stars."

Rohith was discriminated, say students

Students alleged that a petty argument between students had been twisted by Mr Dattatreya. They alleged that Rohith's death was the result of discrimination against Dalit students at the behest of Mr Dattatreya.

In his letter to HRD minister Smriti Irani, Mr Dattatreya had sought action against the "anti-national acts" happening on the UoH campus.

The students alleged that Mr Dattatreya had influenced the HRD ministry and pressurised prof. Podile to take action against Dalit students.

"The UoH administration suspended Dalit students following orders from the MHRD. The Union minister took up the false allegation made by ABVP activists and pressurised university officials through the MHRD to kick out the students. This suicide is result of their actions," an activist of the Ambedkar Student Association alleged.

A Cyberabad police official said the case was registered following a complaint from the UoH students.

"We have registered cases against them based on a complaint filed by students. An FIR was registered under IPC Section 306 (abetment of suicide) and SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. (Union minister of state) Bandaru Dattatreya, vice-chancellor Appa Rao Podile, MLC N. Ramachandra Rao and ABVP activists Susheel Kumar and Rama Krishna have been named in the FIR," said Gachibowli inspector J. Ramesh Kumar.

UoH students demanded the removal of Mr Dattatreya from the Union ministry. "Mr Ramachandra Rao should also be removed as MLC. The VC should be sacked," said D. Prashant, one of the five students suspended along with Rohith.